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After using a razor and foam etc I get a terrible rash mostly on my neck but pretty much everywhere. I've tried a few approaches but no luck so far. My theory is that the hairs when cut with a razor leave sharp edges. When the hairs grow back out they scratch the skin and create a rash. There's usually a day or so after a clean shave before the rash starts. I get by using an electric razor (decent clippers on the shortest settings). This is obviously not a close shave. I've got by a few years like this. I'd like to try a totally clean shave but when I tried it a few months back the problem is still as bad as I remembered. I was stuck with a bad rash that lasted most of a week. Obviously I'm not too keen on trying again without a good idea about what's happening. Anyone got any ideas?

I'm thrown off by the fact that the rash takes a couple of days after the shave to appear.

What kind of razor and foam are you using?

Do you have curly whiskers whose tips curl back into the skin?

If the problem is curly whiskers irritating the skin, I would think that a mild razor - perhaps even a Bumpfighter razor - and a more frequent shave, to prevent the whiskers from curling back into your skin, might help.

If you are using a cartridge razor with multiple blades in the head, you might be better served by a mild, single-blade razor.

You might get a smoother shave with a better shaving cream or soap than canned foam.

Hope this helps. We need more information to help us figure out the problem.

I'm not sure if you're saying the same thing in the your last paragraph, but I would suggest shaving again before the rash would normally appear, to see if that stops it from happening. If it does, the problem is probably from curling whiskers and your two options would be either to shave more often or to let it grow out into a beard (which may leave you rashy until it grows out a bit). If that doesn't stop it, we're back to the drawing board.